A one-week-old baby in Indonesia has died from respiratory complications after being turned away from 10 hospitals, her street vendor father said yesterday, adding he could not pay what some demanded. Dera Nur Anggraini was born prematurely with her twin sister Dara on February 10, with a throat deformity that obstructed her breathing, said father Elias Setya Nugroho. He said his family searched for treatment but was turned away from 10 hospitals, with some claiming not to have the right equipment and others saying they were fully occupied. “Dera was buried yesterday, on Sunday, not far from our home,” Nugroho said, adding the baby died after being taken back to the Zahira Hospital in Jakarta where she was born.

“We tried several hospitals but they were full. Finally we went to a private hospital but we couldn’t pay. In total 10 hospitals rejected us,” the street sandal vendor said. He said the private hospital asked for a down payment of 15mn rupiah ($1,552), even though the family held a health card that entitles low-income earners to free health services.

He said his other daughter Dara, who was born weighing 1.4 kilograms was now in a public hospital fighting for her life. Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi said the baby who died would have had little chance of survival. “The baby was born weighing just one kilogram, so she had little chance of survival,” she said.